Posts Tagged ‘full circle’

MEENA IYER Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; December 10, 2009)

Life has come a full circle for former Miss World Priyanka Chopra. On December 12, nine years after she picked up her own crown, PC will be on the beauty pageant podium in Johannesburg as a judge for the final round of this year’s Miss World contest. “When Julia Morley, who is in charge of the beauty pageant, invited me to be a judge, I was ecstatic. There I was a teenager all those years ago, nervous as a help on the same platform. Now I’m going in a totally different capacity,” said Priyanka. The actress is happy she could work her busy shooting schedules around to accommodate this contest, which she considers a very prestigious one.

Back home, too, Priyanka is in a very happy place. Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and she are the top three Bollywood beauties who wield a certain power over the box office. Naturally, the best projects are divided between them. “This was a good year,” said the actress, “and hopefully 2010 will be as good if not better.”

She happily starts the year with Pyaar Impossible in January while also shooting with hotshot Ranbir Kapoor for Sajid Nadiadwala’s Anjaana Anjaani and with Bollywood supremo Shah Rukh Khan for Farhan Akhtar’s Don-2. “Besides these films, I’m scheduled to do a film with my Kaminey director Vishal Bharadwaj,” said the dusky beauty.

The low point of 2009 was when she cried herself to sleep after Ashutosh Gowarikar’s What’s Your Rashee came unstuck at the box office. “When you put blood, sweat and tears into a project and it doesn’t fetch you the kind of box office you hoped for, it hurts,” Priyanka admitted. But she did not rise to the bait when asked what she feels about co-star and ‘ex’ Harman Baweja making his feelings public for her long after they had split. Guess when things are looking up for her the way they are right now, she has every reason to be gracious.

A quiet and sombre Sanjay Dutt brought in his 50th birthday yesterday at Cape Town in South Africa with wife Maanyata and fellow actors on the sets of Anees Bazmee’s film No Problem. Missing was the family — daughter Trishala and sisters Priya and Namrata, and close friend and Samajwadi Party boss Amar Singh, who is recuperating in Singapore from a kidney transplant. But Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Anil Kapoor and Paresh Rawal made up for it with a surprise party. Inundated with calls and messages from friends, fans and well-wishers back home, Dutt told BT from there, “Life has come a full circle for me at 50. I just feel lucky to be celebrating this day with my loved ones.”

At this milestone year in his life, the actor has no intention of slowing down. Apart from the recently released Luck, he has a string of releases due that see him take a break from the usual macho gangster act. From the fantasy flick Aladin — in which he plays a villainous character — to the underwater treasure adventure Blue. And from the comic caper Chatursingh 2 Star to the intense drama Lamha. Reflecting on the rollercoaster ride his journey has been — right from battling drug addiction to being embroiled in the 1993 bomb blasts case — the actor said, “It’s been a long and tiring journey, but I have no complaints. I have lost and found many amazing people along the way. Each brought their own joys and pain. But each experience has taught me a valuable lesson in life. Not in my wildest dreams had I ever imagined life would turn out to be the way it has. But then that’s what life is all about — unpredictable and enough twists on it’s own.” As for turning 50, Dutt said, “There are times when I don’t feel my age at all, but there are also times when I feel like I have lived and seen more than just these 50 years. But at heart, I’ll always be my mum’s Baba.”

Now, he’s looking forward to his next release, the Amitabh Bachchan-Riteish Deshmukh starrer Aladin. Dutt said, “My character’s called the Ringmaster and it’s a very sinister kind of character.” He’s sung yet again for this film. And, keeping in mind his passion for vrooming mean machines, director Sujoy Ghosh even got Dutt his own batmobile kind of bike. Babes and bike — Sanju’s forever love. “I love bikes, always will. As for babes, I am happy with the only one in my life right now,” laughed the deadly Dutt.